


all we know’s survival

by ohallows



Series: tumblr prompts collection [11]
Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Adrenaline, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Car Chases, First Meetings, Gen, Skateboarding, based on a prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:00:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23479591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohallows/pseuds/ohallows
Summary: There’s a flash of black off to the side, and Grizzop stalls for a half second; it takes him too long to realize it’s another person, directly in his way, and he tries to shout, tries to warn them, but can’t make his throat work in time. As much as he tries to, he isn’t able to do anything but slow down before they collide, sending both of them flying. Grizzop’s elbow slams into the pavement and the woman gives a nearly silent cry of shock as he hears her land, albeit a lot lighter than he thought she would.
Relationships: Grizzop drik Acht Amsterdam & Sasha Racket
Series: tumblr prompts collection [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1584370
Comments: 8
Kudos: 29





	all we know’s survival

**Author's Note:**

> “I was in the middle of a sick skateboard trick when you walked into my path and I couldn’t stop in time I’m so sorry”
> 
> i’m SO sorry i’m. so unused to writing in grizzop’s perspective. also these keep becoming elaborate au’s i’ll never explore i’m sorry. these were literally supposed to be little cute apology meetings and here i am
> 
> i know. less than nothing about skateboarding apart from two (2) characters i love who skateboard in canon but never discuss anything about it so i am In The Dark. does this work with a skateboard? who knows. not me. i look at physics and laugh

It’s a lovely day out, and Grizzop decidedly isn't thinking about the upcoming week. He’s got a full slate, what with classes, training with Vesseek, volunteering at the local health clinic... no,  _ no,  _ he’s not thinking about it. Not until Monday morning, at least, and even then, he’s going to be taking it one hour at a time. 

He kicks off the ground again, skateboarding at high speed down one of his favorite paths through the park. It’s calm and peaceful this time of night, just before sunset. He can ride as fast as he wants, without having to worry about crowds. Plus, there are no coppers around to give him grief if he tries some new moves. They’re always a hassle, and Grizzop more than once has asked them why they’re worrying about him when someone actually needs their  _ help _ , but they never seem to enjoy his cheek. Anyway. That’s why Grizzop keeps away from the park until later; no one here to yell. 

He does a few tricks, hopping up on benches and fences and even, for a few adrenaline-filled seconds, on the edge of the Thames as he precariously tries not to fall. At some point, he realizes how close to home he is and decides to take the long way round; it’s the first not-rainy day in what feels like weeks, and he wants to take advantage of it for as long as possible. 

He pushes off the ground and skateboards down a path leading through more trees. It’s a bit less open than the main park, but Grizzop doesn’t mind; it should be nearly deserted this time of night. He pulls out his phone to shoot a quick text to Vesseek, letting him know he’ll be home soon, and then tucks it back away in his pocket as he keeps moving. 

The path ahead of him is completely deserted, and Grizzop gets an idea in the back of his head. There’s a new trick he’s been wanting to try out for a while now, but he hasn’t had the space to build up the speed enough for it - well, until now, when he has an entire open expanse ahead of him. He smirks, and cracks his knuckles, running through the steps in his head. He knows exactly what he has to do, and he nods, eyes closed for a half-second as he gets ready. 

And then he’s off, speeding down the path as he builds up speed as much as he’s able. He needs to really be flying to pull this off, and he probably won’t get a better opportunity than this. Grizzop whoops as the wind whips by him, and he bends down, getting in position to pull off the trick just as he passes the split in the path. 

There’s a flash of black off to the side, and Grizzop stalls for a half second; it takes him too long to realize it’s another person, directly in his way, and he tries to shout, tries to warn them, but can’t make his throat work in time. As much as he tries to, he isn’t able to do anything but slow down before they collide, sending both of them flying. Grizzop’s elbow slams into the pavement and the woman gives a nearly silent cry of shock as he hears her land, albeit a lot  _ lighter  _ than he thought she would. 

“Oh, gods, shite, gods,  _ sorry!” _ Grizzop exclaims, hands fluttering about uselessly as he scrambles to his feet, only to see the woman he’d knocked into getting to her own as well, brushing off some dust. She doesn’t look nearly as bad, barely a hair out of place, although one of her palms is scraped up. Grizzop wonders if she’d been able to catch herself - but, then again, no one could have that quick of reflexes, right? “You okay?”

She stares at him for a second, and he recognizes the tension running through the lines of her shoulders. Her hands are shoved in her pockets, and she couldn’t look more out of place or awkward if she tried. Grizzop tilts his head to the side, wondering if she could maybe be concussed.

He waves his hand in front of her face, just in case, but she just seems to startle, and Grizzop raises his eyebrow. “Er - no, yeah, I’m… I’m good.” She glances over her shoulder and hunches up a bit more, pulling her hood up. She looks - honestly, Grizzop wants to say  _ scared,  _ with how wide and desperate her eyes look, but the next second, she’s averting her eyes and tucking her head into the collar of her coat. 

“You sure?” Grizzop asks, not even bothering to hide the skepticism in his voice, but she just nods, and her voice is a strange fake-cheery as she responds.

“‘Course I’m sure, dont, er, don’t worry about it. Been hit a lot - lot harder than that, mate. It’s fine, honest.” She goes to take a step by him, and that’s when Grizzop spots the three men standing at the entrance to the park, clad in long black coats, and suddenly everything seems to start to come together, clicking into place in his mind.

“So, uh, I’m assuming  _ those _ three aren’t your friends?” he asks, pointing, and she slaps his hand down almost immediately. “Ow! Hey!”

“Don’t - just -  _ ugh _ ,” she says, and grabs Grizzop’s arm, tugging him along behind her. “This  _ isn’t  _ what - nevermind. Just. Don’t look back, keep walking.” 

Grizzop just has a second to grab his skateboard off the pavement and tuck it under his arm before she’s pulling him on, walking at a too-casual pace. “What on  _ earth -“ _

“Shh,” she says, hushing him, and Grizzop flares up at her as she continues walking, glancing surreptitiously left and right. “No. They’re not.”

Grizzop chances a glance back, but she just slaps him on the shoulder - it’s not  _ hard  _ or anything, more of a warning, but he still swears under his breath and rubs the spot she hit. “Can you  _ stop -“  _ He cuts himself off as he turns to look at her; somehow, her face is even more pale than it was before, and the set of her jaw becomes more and more tense the louder the footsteps behind them get.

He takes to looking around too; something tells him that even if he splits off now, he’s well and truly in it. Whoever these goons are, they aren’t going to leave him alone, whatever happens. 

Vesseek will kill him if he dies. Not to mention Eva - he’s pretty sure she’ll drag him out of whatever afterlife exists just to murder him herself, complete with lecture. So, he’s really got to find a way out of this. 

His longboard knocks against the ground as his grip starts slipping, and as he hoists it up higher with the one hand he’s got free, an idea starts to form. It’s a bit crazy, and more than a bit dodgy, but. Well. Desperate times, and all that. 

He fishes the small remote control out of his pocket, as stealthily as he can, and flips the switch on the side. The screen blinks for a moment, and he breathes a sigh of relief, making a note to thank Vesseek for forcing him to put new batteries in. He chances another glance over his shoulder, and he  _ really  _ doesn’t like how close these three are getting. 

_ But _ . They don’t seem to be too mobile, and Grizzop’s got a skateboard in his hands; it’s an unconventional getaway, but it’s better than escaping on foot. Plus, Grizzop knows these streets like the back of his hand, and he’s sure these goons don’t. 

“Got an idea. Do you trust me?” Grizzop asks, and she stares at him, an incredulous look in her eyes.

“No? Mate, I just met you!” she says, and glances over her shoulder again. Grizzop can see in every line of her body that she’s about to run again, and he sighs, frustrated.

“Do you trust me more than  _ them? _ ” he asks, again, and she actually pauses at that, giving him another confused look. He doesn’t say anything, just gestures ahead of them, and she grumbles under her breath for a second, muscle in her jaw working.

“Fine. Yes,” she admits, albeit grudgingly, and Grizzop bounces back and forth on his heels as they walk, nervous energy kicking up to a 10. 

“Right,” he says, nodding. “When I say go, you hop on the back and hold onto my shoulders. There’s a bit of a kick,” he warns, talking quietly enough that their three tails won’t be able to pick up on it. 

She stares at the board dubiously. “Is it, you know - actually sturdy enough for two?” 

“Sure,” he answers easily; him and Vesseek have used it in tandem a few times, and this woman might be taller than both of them, but he’s got faith that his board will be able to handle it. He shows her the remote as well, and her eyes light up. 

“It’s  _ motorized?”  _ she asks, and Grizzop nods tightly. It’s not something he uses often, because he  _ likes _ the effort it takes to skateboard, but even he has to admit that it’s coming in handy now. He just… can’t ever tell Vesseek, or they’ll hold it over his head forever. 

“Should be able to get us far away from these guys so that they can’t find us,” he mutters. She doesn’t look  _ completely  _ convinced, but the edge of desperation in her eyes must be enough to make her agree to at least give it a shot. And, honestly - the only other two options are fighting (no thank you) or running (which will certainly get them caught).

“...Fine,” she says, and looks at him fully, even as they pick up the pace walking. “Count it down.”

Grizzop nods, adrenaline shooting through his veins as he gets ready. She seems just as tense and hesitant at his side, but the footsteps behind them are getting louder and quicker, and they don’t have any more time to prepare. He takes a deep breath to steady himself, thinks of everything Eva’s ever taught him, and centers himself, laser focused on getting this… random stranger out of here. Gods. No time to second guess it, not anymore. 

“Okay. Three,” he starts, shifting his grip on the longboard as he gets ready to throw it down and hop on. “Two.” Her hand finally drops from his arm, and he glances over to see her fists clenched, knuckles white in stress and anticipation. “ _ One.” _

Things seem to happen in slow motion, after that; at least, that’s how Grizzop feels. He throws the board on the ground and hops on; the woman times it perfectly and jumps on behind him, hands clutching onto his shoulders, and the motor kicks into action as the board shoots off, carrying them away from the three men getting ever closer. 

He hears one of them swear, and can’t help the excited cheer he gives as they leave them behind in the dust. The relief doesn’t last, though - something  _ fires _ behind them, and Grizzop nearly jumps out of his skin, but keeps focusing on the escape.

“Was that a  _ gun _ ?” he yells as they take off down the path; the woman - gods, he doesn’t even know her name - behind him leans down and yells a confirmation, and then Grizzop is swearing loudly as he takes a hard turn, leaving the three goons behind them. He can still hear them swearing, but they’re getting farther and farther away.  _ Fuck _ . What the hell did he get wrapped in.

“Look out!” he hears her shout, and then another gunshot goes off; Grizzop swerves, wildly, but regains control, and together they shoot toward the exit of the park. 

“Tell me where to go!” he yells back over the sudden cacophony of cars on the main street. 

“Just lose them!” she yells back, and Grizzop nods, dodging pedestrians and trash cans and light poles as they race down the pavement. He takes a few maybe inadvisable turns, but he doesn’t want to give them a chance to catch up.

It takes about a minute, is the thing, before things go to hell. 

“Did we -“ he starts, but then he sees a sleek black motorbike in the reflection of a shop window, and swears under his breath. “That them?” 

He feels rather than sees her crane her neck and spot the motorbike, fingers tightening where they’re gripping his shoulders. “That’s them,” she answers, and the fear bleeding into her voice makes Grizzop that much more determined to get her away from them at all costs. 

“Where did they get a motorbike from?” he shouts, frustrated. Honestly, this just isn’t  _ fair.  _ “And how did they find us?!”

“I don’t  _ know!”  _ she shouts back, and Grizzop snarls, gaze darting left and right and looking for any sort of escape while also trying to dodge civilians on the pavement. There are no more gunshots, thankfully; whoever these people chasing her are, they’re not stupid enough to risk hurting an innocent bystander in the chaos. It’s… not comforting, really, but at least Grizzop doesn’t have to worry about other people getting hurt. 

Gives him more space to focus on  _ himself  _ and the woman he’s ferrying getting hurt. 

There are too many people ahead of them. They won’t be able to make it through, making them sitting ducks. And there are no turn offs down alleys small enough for the motorbike to not be able to follow them. Shite.  _ Shite.  _ This leaves them, really, with only one option. 

With a loud swear, Grizzop swerves into traffic and grabs onto the boot of a car passing, letting them get trailed along as the woman gives a cut-off shriek of surprise behind him. Grizzop uses the momentum to throw themselves across the street, ignoring the kids in the backseat of the car who are staring at them, dumbfounded. 

Cars honk all around them as Grizzop swerves between them, crouching down and grabbing a light pole as he hops back onto the pavement and uses it to throw them left, a harsh curve that he hopes the motorbike won’t be able to follow. 

But, as ever, his luck decides to turn on him. 

“They’re still on us!” the woman yells only a moment later, and Grizzop swears again, looking for any way out. this street is way more deserted than the last, and so he swerved into the road again, praying to any god that exists for any idea to come to him. He takes another turn, and the perfect opportunity presents it to him. 

There’s construction ahead, but Grizzop sees an opening and makes a final push for it. The motorbike is gaining on them, but they might have  _ just  _ enough time to make this work. He hopes. He  _ prays. _

“Come on, come on,  _ come on _ ,” Grizzop mutters desperately, stretching his hand out as much as he can without overbalancing. There’s a pole in the perfect position, and if he can use that to swing them around, the motorbike should crash right through the construction. He just has to  _ get there  _ first. 

The roar of the motorbike behind them only gets louder as it gets closer, and Grizzop hears another gunshot go off, bullet missing them completely as it rips through a sign. He strains forward, and the woman behind him grips on even tighter, hunching up as another bullet whips over her head. 

“We won’t make it!” she yells, but Grizzop just grits his teeth and kicks the motor up a notch. It’s not meant to go this fast for long, but it should give them the final push they need. 

His fingers connect with the pole and he holds on with both hands, arms straining as the board lifts up under him as they whip around and shoot down the alleyway. They hear the motorbike screeching to a stop behind them, and then there’s a loud collision as it must connect with the construction work. Still, Grizzop keeps going forward, not wanting to leave this up to chance. He makes a bunch of random turns, unsure completely of where they even are, and then 

An alley ahead is narrow, and he misjudges the turn; the front of the board clips the edge of a building, and both of them are sent flying, rolling a few times until they finally come to a stop, laying a few feet apart.

Both of them are silent for a minute, just breathing heavily as they lay there in victory. Every part of Grizzop’s body feels like it’s been beaten to hell - which, honestly, he supposes it has been, just… by pavement and concrete rather than a person. Still, neither of them say anything, both listening for the sound of footsteps or any sign that the goons are still on their tail.

Nothing comes, and Grizzop breathes a huge sigh of relief.

“We… did it,” Grizzop pants, rolling over onto his back as he clutches at his chest. He can hear Eva’s voice in the back of his head, lecturing him that laying down won’t help with his breathing, but all of his muscles ache and he can’t even imagine sitting up right now. “You alive?”

A few feet away from him, she lifts up a single fist, holding it up on the air for a moment before letting it fall back to the ground. He hears her rustle around as she finally struggles into a sitting position. Grizzop follows her lead, leaning back against a dumpster sitting in the alley as he tries to catch his breath. He looks around, trying to find his longboard, and sees it poking out from behind a few trash bags that someone left behind. He crawls over to it, still not ready to stand, and pulls it out, wincing as he takes stock of the damage. It’s all scuffed up, and the front is bent backward - a wheel is missing, too.

“Bollocks,” he says, staring down mournfully at his longboard. It won’t be usable, not without some serious work, and Grizzop sighs, disappointed. He doesn’t regret it, not really, but now he’s going to have to spend even more time fixing it up. Time he doesn’t have.

“Right. Now that we’ve escaped certain death, do you wanna tell me your name?” he asks, and she doesn’t respond for a second. He almost doesn’t think she’s  _ going  _ to, which. Fine, whatever, okay, maybe she shouldn’t, considering she was running from. He doesn’t know. The mob, maybe? Some gang? Whoever it was, they seem like people he doesn’t want to get involved with.

“...Sasha,” she finally says, to Grizzop’s surprise, and the silence that she leaves in place of her last name isn’t something Grizzop is going to question.

“Nice to meet you. Grizzop,” he says, pointing at himself. and she just nods.

“So, gonna tell me who they are?” he asks, rolling over and finally getting to his feet. 

“Old family friends,” she says, drily, and Grizzop laughs, short and sarcastic.

“Right. Think your folks and some of mine would get along,” he mutters, and Sasha gives him a curious look. He doesn’t elaborate, and they both stand there in silence, broken only by the intermittent noise of what Grizzop thinks might be cats yowling a few alleys away. 

“We make a good team,” he says, cautiously, but Sasha just gives him half a smile and stands up, brushing the dirt off of her leather jacket. There are a couple tears in her jeans, and Grizzop’s sure that her skin is about as rubbed raw as his is. He struggles to his feet as well, using the wall to help him balance.

“I should, erm -“ Sasha starts, rubbing awkwardly at the back of her neck. “Thank you. For. All of that. Would’ve been easier to leave me, back there.”

Grizzop shrugs. “I don’t like bullies. And they seemed like the worst kind.”

Sasha laughs quietly, but there’s no humor in it. “They sure are.” 

Neither of them really make a move to leave, and Grizzop rocks back and forth on his feet in the awkward silence that leaves. 

“Take care of yourself, I guess?” Grizzop finally says, and Sasha leans against the building, staring up into the sky.

“Yeah. You too,” she says, and sticks out her hand for Grizzop to shake. He does, briefly, and then drops her hand. She folds her arms again when he does, and takes a step back. “And. Thanks, again.”

Grizzop shrugs. “Don’t mention it.” He waves and turns around, starting to head off toward home, when one more thing strikes him as odd. 

“Wait, did -“ he turns, one more question on the tip of his tongue, but there’s no one there. If not for the broken board in his arms and the scrapes and gashes along his skin, he’d wonder if she’d never even existed in the first place. Gods. Talk about an exciting - oh,  _ shite.  _

He pulls his phone out of his pocket - the screen’s a little cracked, but nothing unusable - and doesn’t even check his messages before dialling Vesseek’s number. They answer on the first ring, and a Grizzop doesn’t let them get a word in edgewise before he’s tripping over himself to apologize. Been doing that a lot, tonight.

“I’m so sorry -“

“ _ Where the hell have you been? You texted me that you were almost home nearly half an hour ago.” _

“I know, I know,” Grizzop sighs, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. “Something - something came up. I didn’t - a lot happened. I’ll tell you when I get back. Oh, and I’m fine.”

_ “Well, glad to hear that, at least,”  _ they say. They still sound hacked off and worried, but there’s an undercurrent of curiosity there as well. They always have loved a good story; gods, Vesseek’s gonna be so  _ jealous.  _

Grizzop kicks at a rock in the alleyway as he starts heading out. Maybe he’ll just take the tube instead of walking home. “I’m on my way back now - no more detours.”

He hears a small hum from Vesseek. “ _ Okay. See you soon,”  _ they say, and then hang up. Grizzop tucks the phone back into his pocket and starts making his way back. Thankfully, he knows roughly where he is, and it won’t take too long to get back. The entire way, he’s got his head on a swivel, waiting for the three goons to show up again. 

They don’t, and he makes it back, and weathers the lecture from Vesseek, and then he collapses into bed, body aching as he falls into a dreamless, exhausted sleep.

He wakes up the next morning to a text saying  _ ‘You’ve got a package outside’  _ from an anonymous number and, curious, gets out of bed. Vesseek must still be asleep, since they’re not up cooking breakfast or getting ready for work, so Grizzop walks over to the door in silence, stretching. His muscles  _ ache,  _ and the scrapes and bruises all across his body are even more tender this morning. He makes a quick stop at the medicine cabinet to grab some paracetamol, dry swallowing a few of them as he urges it to work more quickly. 

The sun is shining in through the curtains as he pads softly over to the door, itching at the back of his neck as he yawns, phone held loosely in his hand. He pulls the door open, and his mouth drops open as he sees what’s waiting for him. Sitting on the step, there’s a new longboard, the exact same color as his old one. It looks like an exact replica, down to the neon marks on the wheels, and as Grizzop looks, he spies a note fluttering under one of the wheels. 

“What…” Grizzop says, glancing left and right. No one’s out, apart from the neighbor walking their dog, and he gives them a friendly wave before leaning down and picking it up. It feels the way it should, too, the same lightweight, sturdy weight to it as he hefts it in his hands. He goes back inside and lets the door shut behind him, pulling the note off and flipping it so that he can see the handwriting. 

_ Sorry yours broke. Hope this is just as good. - S _

He can’t help the surprised little laugh he makes at that. Suppose that means last night wasn’t _ just  _ a weird fever dream, then. Even so, him getting a nearly-anonymous joint thank-you present and apology was… not an outcome he had in mind. He’s not  _ complaining  _ or anything, he’s just, well. Confused, a bit. Mainly in how she knew where he  _ lived _ , but, well. Considering, it almost seems like a given. 

He still wants the board though, so he’s not going to complain too much. And this is nice thanks for him being a getaway driver of sorts, last night. 

As he puts the longboard down on the sofa and studies it, he wonders, and… well, for some reason, he doesn’t think that this will be the last he hears from her. 

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos are super appreciated!!


End file.
